But then, just a few weeks before the fight, Theresa May called a snap general election, and Acorn launched a major campaign to get tenants to register to vote – they are among the most under-represented kinds of people on the electoral roll.

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So training had to take a back seat, but Nick went ahead with the bout anyway. On the eve of the fight, Nick’s opponent pulled out, but another MMA fighter Adam Bell stepped in to take his place.

Nick Ballard of Acorn

Things were not looking good after the first round, with Nick - in the red trunks in the video - taking a lot of punishment both in punches and kicks, and the bell came at a good time for the groggy Bristol activist.

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But in the second round, a remarkable transformation took place, with Nick lunging at his opponent, pinning him to the ground and beating the living daylights out of him, with the victory completed soon after the start of the third round.

Nick Ballard's MMA fight (Image: South West Media)

“It was great,” Nick said. “Surprisingly I didn't get nervous at all and enjoyed every minute of it.

“Some bits were better than others obviously given how hairy the first round was for me but it was a great experience.

“I had a great team of people around me - coaches and sparring partners and that makes all the difference. Obviously ACORN is all about collective strength and supporting each other and fighting's the same. There were five of us from Olympians/SB Fitness and we're all there rooting for each other.

Nick Ballard's MMA fight (Image: South West Media)

“I've been training MMA for a while and though I never got into it in order to fight, I do like to test myself and this seemed a natural way to do it.

“It turns out you find out a lot about yourself when someone's trying to take your head off! So that was the personal motivation.

Nick Ballard's MMA fight (Image: South West Media)

“The fundraising for ACORN side was really seeing the opportunity to promote and raise some money for what I obviously think is an amazing organisation full of incredible people working flat out to tackle the very real housing problems in Bristol, and to bring back some grassroots democracy into politics.

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“Also, I thought if I publicly said I would do it then I thought there was less chance of me bottling it,” he joked.

So far Nick has raised more than £300 for Acorn, and said he would have done more promotion were it not for the election.

Nick Ballard's MMA fight (Image: South West Media)

“Anyone interested in giving MMA a try whether you want to fight or not - it's great for getting in shape - should go down to SB Fitness in Bedminster. It’s best gym in Bristol, great coaches and a brilliant, supportive bunch of people,” he added.